Method and means for providing wrinkles in textile fabrics



Nov. 30, 1954 A. s. JONES 2,695,653

METHOD AND MEANS FOR PROVIDING WRINKLES IN TEXTILE FABRICS Filed Feb. 26, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 QTTORA/EV Nov. 30, 1954 A. s. JONES I 2,695,653

METHOD AND MEANS FOR PROVIDING WRINKLES IN TEXTILE FABRICS Filed Feb. 26, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

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HTTORWEV United States Patent 7 METHOD MEAN S FOR PROVIDING WRINKEES TEXTILE FABRICS Application.Februaryv 26, 1952, Serial No.273,452 Claims-t (.Cli 15453.0)

This: invention relates to: textile'fabrics and: more particularlyto. 3.1,.I1OVG1 method and rmeanswfor providing wrinklessin textileifabricwasrwell as to a novel wrinkled textile'fabric.

An object of the present invention is to provide: wrinkled fabrics of highly decorative appearance by a surprisingly simple apparatus: and: process which doesnnot require highly skilled-manipulation or difficult, processing operations.

Another object of the present invention is to produce a novel,.=wri'nkled textile fabric having wrinkles fast to washing, so that said fabric need not be ironed after each washing to provide an attractive appearance.

or-the=purposeof more fullyexplained my invention, referencev is made tothef-ollowing drawings, in which,

"Fig. 1 isa diagrammatic view of a preferred embodiment of theapparatusof my invention suitable forcarrying out my novel process;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear elevational view of a portion of the-apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a; diagrammaticplan view of the portion of the apparatus of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of the novel wrinkled textile fabric of my invention.

1 have found that it is possible to produce substantially unidirectional wrinkles in an extended sheet of textile fabric by pressing a moistened sheet of textile fabric in a plurality of directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said sheet, and preferably thereafter squeezing the wrinkled fabric between high pressure mangle rolls and passing it around suitable dry cans to dry the fabric and set the wrinkles. The moistening agent may be Water containing a sizing agent such as starch or a fixing agent such as any one of a number of resinous materials known to the art, the latter providing an attractive wrinkled textile fabric in which the wrinkles are fast to washing.

Since the wrinkles in my novel textile fabric are unidirectional, that is, substantially but not all absolutely parallel to one another, and are of random lengths and spacings from one another substantially uniformly distributed throughout the fabric sheet, they provide a most attractive and unusual finish, and, when the fabric includes a resinous fixing material, one which may be washed repeatedly without destroying the effect. The permanent wrinkles provided by the fixing agent tend to conceal other wrinkles produced in the fabric as by subsequent washings,-and hence it is not necessary to iron or otherwise finish my novel fabric after each subsequent washing.

Referring to Fig. 1, an extended ric 2, preferably gathered to forma ric, is passed into a tank containing a moistening agent 12, the usual lease rod 14 being provided in said tank beneath the level of the moistening agent 12 so that the entire sheet of fabric 2 will be moistened; the wet sheet of fabric is then passed to my novel wrinkler, generally designated as 20, which presses the gathered moistened sheet of textile fabric 2 in two directions substantially but not absolutely perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the axis of the gathered sheet of textile fabric 2 passing through the wrinkler 20 to form wrinkles 4 therein, the action of said wrinkler, though producing generally unidirectional wrinkles, serving randomly to produce at least a portion of them in slightly non-parallel relation to one another, as well as to produce said wrinkles i4 of 4random lengths and spacings, all as best shown in sheet of textile fabrope of textile fab- My novel wrinkler, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, includes two: pairs of cooperating fabric pressing rollers rotatablynmountedon frame 22 of the. apparatus, said pairs of: rollers. being mounted on behind the other at an angle, preferably 90, totone another and substantially perpendicular to the longitudin '1 axis of the sheet of textile fabric passing. through the wrinkler 20. The first pair ofsaid: rollers-includes a cylindrical lower roller 24. mounted bysuitabl'e bearings in frame 22 for rotation about a horizontal axis, and a, concave upper roller 26 mounted: vertically above such lower roller 24 cooperating therewith to press the; sheet of fabric therebetween.

At; leastone roller 10f saidgpair, upper roller26, is resilientlymounted-to. press toward'said lower roller 24. Such: resilient mounting includes springs:.28 mounted, at once-end. in. :fixed: position relative; to frame 22 and; at the. other end arrangedqtoa pressagai'nst the bearings- 29 of saidaupper roller 126,-said1bearings being adapted for sliding movement: toward and: away from. lower roll 24.

The second pair of rollers is mounted relatively closely following the. above described. first pair of rollers, and, similarly-etc: saidfirstfpair of rollers, includesta cylindrical roller 32: and a concave roller 34", the latter being re.- siliently mounted; by' movable. bearings 36 and springs 37 to press said. concave roller resiliently toward: said cylindrical roller. The second pairuof rollers is mounted to rotate about vertical axes, so that the pairs of rolls are: at: an. angle, conveniently -9", to one: another, the axes- 0f eaclripair. ofI rollersv lying in planes substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to: the longitudinal v axis of: the: meet of textile: fabric; EhISL arrangement provides; a pair of. laterally extended openings one behind the other: and perpendicular. to the axis of said sheet, saidopeningsa being: at an: angle to. one another. The resilient? mounting-of at leastone 'rollerofeach pair of rollers permits the passage of seams, such as are formed when two sheets of textile fabric are tied together, through my novel wrinkler without danger of damaging it, While the concave rollers 26 and 34 aid in guiding the sheet through the wrinkler. I prefer that substantial pressure be applied to said fabric by each of said pairs of rolls 24 and 26, and 32 and 34, said pressure being of the order of one half ton for the purpose of removing as much of the moistening agent as possible. A guide plate 40 having a central circular opening is provided in front of the first pair of rollers to aid in gathering the sheet of textile fabric before it passes into my novel wrinkler,

said plate 40 being mounted on the frame 22 in any suitab}? manner substantially centrally of both of the pairs of to ers.

After the sheet of textile fabric 2 has passed through my novel wrinkler, the wrinkles 4 therein are preferably set by passing the textile fabric around and between a mangle comprising a pair of rolls, lower roll 46 and up per roll 48, to remove the major part of the remaining moistening agent, a pressure of several tons being used on said rolls. The wrinkler rollers, though squeezing a large part of the moistening agent from the sheet of textile fabric, leave it in a moist condition, the setting of the wrinkles 4 being much improved by pressing the sheet of textile fabric under high pressure in the presence of moisture. The textile fabric is then passed to one or more pairs of drying cans having cylinders 52 and 54 heated to a suitable temperature as known to the art to completely dry the moistened textile fabric as it passes around and between them. In the case of fixing or stabilizing agents such as, for example, a large class of resinous materials and resin components known to the art, the heated cylinders 52 and 54 serve to react the fixing agent to provide wrinkles 4 permanently fast to washing, the desir ble temperature of said cylinders being determined by the particular sizing or fixing agent employed, as is well understood in the art.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a novel process for wrinkling textile fabrics to produce a novel wrinkled fabric, as Well as apparatus for carrying out said process. My process, though particularly suit-able for cotton or other cellulosic textile fabrics such as rayon, may be employed "on mixtures including animal fibers, or 1n some instances, on fabrics composed entirely of animal fibers, for example, wool. I have pointed out a preferred practice of my novel process, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the spirit of my invention and e scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A fabric wrinkling apparatus for producing unidirection'al wrinkles in textile sheet fabric including fabric sizing means, means for forming unidirectional wrinkles in the fabric comprising means for gathering the sheet into rope formation, pressing means for pressing the extended sheet of the gathered rope fabric in a plurality of directions at an angle to one another perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the extended rope of fabric and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof to form the unidirectional wrinkles, and pressure roll means for setting the wrinkles in the fabric.

2. A method of providing unidirectional longitudinal wrinkles in an extended sheet of textile fabric, comprising treating said fabric with a sizing agent, and pressing the sized fabric while in gathered rope form inwardly directions at an angle to one another and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fabric to form wrinkles in the fabric substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof.

3. A method of providing unidirectional longitudinal wrinkles fast to washing in an extended sheet of textile fabric comprising treating said fabric with a fixing agent, pressing the fabric while in gathered rope form in a plurality of directions at an angle to one another and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the gathered rope to form wrinkles in the fabric substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, pressing said wrinkled fabric at high pressures and treating the fixing agent to fix .the wrinkles in the fabric.

4. A fabric wrinkling apparatus for producing unidirectional wrinkles in textile fabric including a frame, a first pair of cooperating fabric pressing rollers rotatably mounted on said frame to press fabric therebetween in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a sheet of textile fabric passing between said rolls, a second rollers rotatably mounted on said frame first pair of rollers pair of cooperating fabric pressing following said to press fabric therebetween in a second direction substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, th an angle to one another,

e axes of said pat-rs of rollers being at and pressure roll means for setting said wrinkles in said fabric, at least one'roller of h of said pairs of cooperating fabric pressing rollers tudinal axis thereof, pressing the wrinkled fabric at high pressures, and in the fabric.

treating the fixing agent to fix the wrinkles References Cited in the file of this patent Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS 

